Family of bus crash victim seek ‘justice’

Saba Mirza in hospital. She was severely injured while walking on a zebra crossing in November 2016

A YOUNG woman who was severely injured after being dragged under a bus may never come home from hospital, her family said this week, after the driver walked out of court with a £770 fine.

Saba Mirza, 27, who lived with her family in Warwick Avenue, has been in St Mary’s hospital since she was hit by a No 46 bus while walking on a zebra crossing in November 2016.

The 55-year-old bus driver was convicted of careless driving by City of London magistrates on Monday.

Saba’s family launched an online petition yesterday (Thursday) calling for tougher penalties for when a ­victim has been severely injured.

Her sister Rimha, 20, told the Extra: “Saba spent eight months in a coma. She cannot walk again. She cannot hear again. Her lungs are collapsed and she is on a breathing machine. The hospital say she cannot come home now and she may never be able to come home. We are already heartbroken by this.

Saba’s family members are calling for action

“A £770 fine? How does that compensate for a life? As a family we want people to know about this. It is unjust and unacceptable.”

The petition, which is signed by the family including Saba’s mother Nicky, describes Saba as “a once bright and kind girl who was a prominent figure in the local community through her endless charity work”.

It adds: “She is trapped in a body that she can no longer control.”

The bus driver had also been charged with dangerous driving – which can carry a custodial sentence – but he was not convicted of this by the magistrates.

He also received nine penalty points on his licence but has not been banned from driving ­buses.

Saba did charity work for children and worked as a teaching assistant in a special education needs school in Swiss Cottage. She had been recognised with awards for her voluntary work by Camden Council.

At an award ceremony in the town hall in 2015 she had said: “Volunteering has changed my life so much. Working with children inspires and motivates me.”

One of five children who live with their mother in Warwick Avenue, Saba was minutes from home when she was hit by the bus.

The family home overlooks the zebra crossing where she was hit.

Last November the family tied yellow ribbons to a tree next to the spot on the one-year anniversary.